Spring 春
by dybank
Summary: Seigaku High is officially home to our favourite tennis people. But Seigaku High is not famous for just their tennis club: an amazing student here has brought the school glory through her paintings. It was spring, and it bloomed. FujiOC
1. Chapter 1

Everyone's back from whatever they've been away from! Seigaku High is officially and finally home to all our favourite little tennis people. But Seigaku High is not famous for just their tennis club, but one of the best art student studies here too which has made the school famous. It was spring when Fuji met her and the flowers were blooming, and their relationship started to do so too. FujiOC

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis! But I can dream!

Woo hoo! Anyway, the little breaks in front, back or in between the chapter are Fuji's thoughts, or what he thinks subconsciously. I think. They won't be there all the time, but they'll be there when I feel necessary. :)

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_It's going to be spring again. The leaves have grown back on the trees in the school grounds. It's the start of a new year in high school; my last year in high school. _

_Echizen is going to be here this year. The thought of everyone being together again made me smile. It would be the same again, but I'm sure everyone has grown more mature over the years. It'll still be the same but maybe something different._

_There will be something different, something different. _

_Something… _

_Someone…_

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"OCHIBI, YOU'RE FINALLY HERE! I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN AGES!"

Eiji ran over to Ryoma and pummelled him to the floor with a hug. Ryoma grunted and shoved Eiji away, he stood up and glared.

"I went out for lunch with you two weeks ago. And I'm not that small now, you know."

It was true; Echizen had grown taller and a stronger built, he looks more mature. And so did everyone else of course.

"That may be true, but you're still younger than all of us. And you'll always be the baby in our tennis club while we were in middle school!" Eiji declared happily. _'He hasn't changed a bit,'_ Ryoma thought somewhat fondly. He glanced around and saw Momoshiro run over with a huge grin on his face. Before Ryoma could react and run away, Momoshiro grabbed him and put him in a headlock.

"Neh, Echizen! You're finally in high school, and back with your dear ol' senpais! How does that make you feel?"

"Annoyed," replied Ryoma almost instantaneously. Momo frowned and gave a light 'tch', before letting Eiji take over. Eiji bent down and grabbed Ryoma by the shoulders looking serious, "You _are_ going to join the tennis club, right?"

"Is that a trick question?"

"That's good to hear. Tezuka's going to be our captain this year and Taka-san decided to join us again!" Momo informed.

"I thought he wanted to start his sushi training," Ryoma recalled. Eiji nodded rapidly and replied, "Yeah, but he missed tennis too much, and his dad didn't want him to give it up completely! Just a little so that he'd have time to learn how to make sushi properly."

Eiji was about to continue but the warning bell rung and the trio left for their classrooms.

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_In class 2-6 (Momo's)_

Momoshiro walked into the half-packed class and sat down next to a girl and he laughed, "Kata, we've been in the same class for too long."

"Mm… it's getting pretty annoying," the girl replied. She smiled and pushed her bangs behind her ear. Momo frowned, "Nah… don't say that. I make the classes interesting. Classes would be too boring if there aren't any funny interruptions!"

Both of them laughed. Katakura Harumi had been Momo's classmate since freshman year in middle school and they've become very good friends since then. Katakura had dark brown hair pulled to a ponytail that reached the end of her should blades and deep bluish-purple eyes. She was small-ish, petite and her face held a sort of innocence to it. She was quiet and sweet but she can defend herself and can be scary at times. Momo always refers to her as Kata, while a lot of people just call her Haru; since she doesn't mind.

"Eiji-senpai kept running around screaming 'ochibi is going to be here soon!' last year," Katakura started, she put her pencil down and kept her sketchbook, giving her full attention to Momoshiro, "'ochibi' is Echizen Ryoma... correct?"

"That's him. What do you want to know?"

"Nothing in particular, but why does Eiji-senpai keep calling him 'ochibi'? I doubt anyone whose reaching the age of 16 is small."

"You're 16 but you're small," Momo teased. Haru had a small frame and Momoshiro and her other friend liked to tease her; saying that she 'doesn't look her own age.'

Kata gave him a look and Momo laughed, "Sorry… sorry! Eiji-senpai calls Echizen ochibi because when we first met, Echizen was only twelve so he was really short, and Eiji-senpai considered him as the baby of our team since he was the youngest."

Kata laughed and was about to ask more when a girl with shoulder-length red hair came running into the classroom.

"Haru, look!" The girl ran toward the pair and shoved a piece of paper into Kata's face.

"Ah... what is this, Natsu?"

"Don't be so blur, Haru!" Natsu screamed and pointed to Haru's name on the list, "You got first place for one of the local art competitions held last year!"

"Kata, that's a new trophy to put in your bedroom," Momo teased. Natsu grinned and nodded, "There's probably a prize money too if I remember!"

"Really...? I don't remember even participating in this competition…" Haru thought aloud and laughed lightly. Natsu rolled her eyes and sighed, "Gah! You're hopeless, Haru."

Momo laughed as Natsu tried to help Haru recall the competition. He picked up the piece of paper and looked at the painting that won Katakura first place. It was a painting of golden gingko trees against a light blue sky. The quality of the photograph taken was bad and it had to be cropped up to fit into the paper with the other runner-ups so it didn't look too amazing. Momo felt like seeing the actual piece; it should be set up in the art room.

Their teacher came into the classroom and everyone went back to their seats. "Class will now begin!"

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_After school, in the Tennis Court_

"Tezuka," Oishi started, "We have a lot of freshmen this year."

"Yes, we do."

"Saa… I think we have about 20 signing up for this, including Echizen."

"If I remember correctly… if we add the freshmen, we will have a grand total of 58 members in the tennis club. That is a 46 percent increase, excluding last year's seniors of course."

"Does this year's batch look small? Or am I just big…?"

"Ooh… look! I see the triplets, nyaa!" (A/N: The triplets being the freshmen three; Horio, Katsuo and Kachirou.)

"Ffssssshh…"

"Wis."

"Where's Momo?" Tezuka asked, "He's late." Everyone was there except Momoshiro. All of them looked around and realized it, and then they started saying things like, "I didn't notice…" and "Oh wow, would you look at that…" And then Momo came running over like a mad man.

"I'm here! I'm here…" Momo wheezed. Fuji walked over to him, "Saa… Momo, daijoubu?" (1)

"I'm fine… I'm fine! I just wanted to go see Kata's artwork, but I didn't think that it would be so crowded. So I was stuck in there for about a while, being squished by a bunch of insane people… Anyway, I was late, so I ran all the way over here."

"Who's Kata?" Ryoma asked. Kawamura replied, "Kata's Momo's friend. They've been friends since junior high. Kaidoh and Momo are in the same class as her this year. Momo speaks really highly of her so I guess she's really good."

"Good with what?"

"Good in her paintings and stuff, nyaa!" Eiji exclaimed. Inui pushed up his glasses, "She was the one who won the National Art Competition last year. She specialises in oil-painting if I remember correctly."

"Neh, ochibi, I'll go bring you to the art room! It's filled with all her stuff!" Eiji exclaimed and was about to drag Ryoma off when Oishi pulled him back, "You can show him afterwards. It's practice now."

"Hoi… it's the first day of school, Oishi! Let me just bring ochibi there!"

"We've always heard about Katakura-san and seen her to collect prizes, but we've never actually met her in person," Fuji stated and everyone fell into silence.

"Well, I've seen her. We're all in the same class," Kaidoh mumbled. Ryoma scoffed, "I've only just heard of her."

"Are you serious? She – what, really? You guys have never seen her before? You think 5 years of knowing her and you guys, I'd let your guys meet…" Momo laughed and everyone nodded their head.

"_MOMO__**SHIROOO!"**_

Everyone turned to the source of the voice to see an angry red-head girl running at full speed towards Momo.

She grabbed Momo by the collar and growled, "I asked you to do a favour for me – just ONE _small_ _little favour_; to bring Haru-chan out of the art room! And you go, jolly well out of there, WITHOUT Haru! Now's she's lost in the sea of fan boys, and neither I nor the teachers can get in. Imagine her getting harassed by her idiotic fan club, and the reporters that are here. You know she cannot take compliments well, and she'll end up all ditsy and modest, making her vulnerable to practically everyone, SO YOU BETTER MAKE THIS RIGHT BY GETTING HER OUT OF THERE!"

Momoshiro rubbed the back of his head and mumbled, "Hai, hai. Natsu, I got it! Some weirdoes are attaching…"

"KATA!" Momo freaked and ran toward the art room with Natsu following close behind. Everyone stared.

"Saa… I hope Katakura-san will be alright; those reporters are harsh."

"I hope Momo's going to be alright," Eiji mumbled, "That girl was scary… WELL, I'm going to go see what happens! Come on, ochibi!"

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In the end, everyone went to the art room. Well, everyone except Tezuka and Kaidoh. Tezuka's reason was that he heard that she could really beat up people if they annoy her a lot, so he didn't want to see the bloodshed in the art room. Kaidoh had already seen her, so he just stayed behind.

Inui was curious, and he had an ambition to have data on every single student at their school by the end of the year. Kawamura just wanted to see Haru's paintings. Eiji wanted to see Haru and her artworks. Echizen and Fuji went because they heard bloodshed. Oishi went because he was concerned about the bloodshed.

"Hoi hoi! We're here!" Eiji shouted happily and opened the closest door to them of the art room. Almost everyone in the art room was on the floor either; unconscious, writhing in pain, or just scared shitless.

"That's something you don't see everyday," Kawamura laughed nervously. Right after, the back door opened and Momo came out, carrying a girl on his shoulder with Natsu closing the door behind him.

"Haru-chan, you haven't been eating much, have you? Momo-chan can lift you up so easily!"

"Either that, or I'm just really strong," Momo laughed and a suspicious cough came from the girl on his shoulder.

The girl murmured a bit before lifting her head up and flailing her legs a little, "I'm fine… now let me go…" Momo set her down, her back facing everyone else, and then he and Natsu stared at the girl.

"Haru, are you alright?" Natsu asked. Haru nodded but wobbled a bit and almost fell before Momoshiro and Natsu caught her.

"Ha… Kata, I know you can kick ass but you shouldn't exert yourself."

"Momo, I'll take her to the nurse's room, you go with your tennis buddies over there," Natsu suggested, supporting Haru. Momo looked back to see everyone except Tezuka and Kaidoh.

"Momo, is she going to be alright?" Fuji asked gently. (A/N: He always sounds gentle anyway…)

"Aa, she'll be fine. She's just a little drained from beating up those guys," Momo replied with a grin, pointing to the people inside the art room writhing in pain. Oishi twitched, "She did that?"

Momoshiro nodded. Echizen slowly walked in and stopped at the biggest canvas, which was almost double his size. (A/N: Remember, he's going to be 16 this year, imagine how big that canvas is!) Everyone followed suit and saw that it was Haru's.

"SUGOI!" (2) Eiji gasped in awe. Inui smirked, "Gingko trees."

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Oishi asked and marvelled at the painting. Kawamura, Echizen and Fuji stayed silent. Momoshiro grinned, "It took her about 3 weeks. She had plenty of time before that, but she likes to push everything to the last minute."

They stood in silence for a while until the girl Momo was carrying just now languidly entered the room rubbing her eye. She looked up and was slightly taken back but smiled softly, "Momo, are these your friends?"

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_Is this how a person feels when they fall… No, it's too absurd._

_But then… why is my heart pounding like this?_

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"Kata…" Momoshiro mumbled, "Are you alright? Didn't Natsu take you to the nurse's office?"

"Yeah… but I left my bag in here… somewhere…" Haru mumbled and looked around. She walked up to them and bowed lightly, "My name is Katakura Harumi, nice to meet you."

"Kata, this is Fuji Syusuke," Fuji smiled, "It's nice to meet you too, Katakura-san."

"This is Kikumaru Eiji," Eiji grinned and waved rapidly.

"The big, shy guy is Kawamura Takashi," Kawamura smiled.

"The dude with the glasses is Inui Sadaharu," Inui pushed up his glasses and started writing rapidly on Haru… and crap.

"That over there is Oishi Shuichiro," Oishi smiled and waved.

"And little arrogant kid there is Echizen Ryoma," Echizen showed no emotion but glared at Momo.

"We think your artwork's amazing," Oishi complimented while Haru just laughed and smile nervously, "Thank you, I really appreciate it. Well I have to go now… if not, Natsu will freak out and start screaming at random people in French."

Haru moved to the corner of the room where her bag was. She picked it up and waved a good bye before exiting the room. But before she left, she purposely stepped on some guy's stomach and glared at him, "That's for looking up my skirt." He groaned and panted when she got off.

"She's so tiny," Eiji blurted out. Fuji shifted, "She seems nice." The rest nodded. A sort of calming feeling had followed her into the room that made them feel fluffy.

Either that or it was because she was lethargic and seemed really sickly and quiet that made everyone a little scared since she looked like she'd collapse any moment that made a weird atmosphere around the room.

"But she looked like she was going to collapse," Ryoma mumbled, "Momo-senpai, will she be alright?"

"Collapse? That's what she's like all the time," Momoshiro said as if it was normal for people to faint randomly all the time.

"So everyday… she looks like she's going to collapse?" Kawamura wondered, looking bewildered. Momoshiro nodded, "She was a bit sickly when she was younger but now she's fine. She looks really fragile since she's a little thin, and she speaks pretty softly, plus the fact that she's so fair it looks like a sickly pale so everyone just thinks she's sick. But she has her lively days so you can imagine the energy she has in her tiny little body!" Momo put an emphasis on tiny with his index finger and thumb.

"So I'm guessing she's lively today to knock so many people out," Inui asked.

"I guess. It's not her liveliest day, but yeah, she's capable of doing so," Momo replied. Eiji whistled, "I'd better not get on her bad side."

"Nah, it's hard to get on her bad side! She's really nice," Momoshiro added, "You can imagine how annoying these guys were." Fuji whipped out a camera out of no where and took a few pictures of the painting, and the poor people on the floor.

"You should see the one in the closet if you're taking pictures," Kaidoh suggested while Tezuka and himself walked in, careful not to step on anyone. Tezuka looked stern, "You're all taking too long."

"But Buchou, look at this amazing work! Doesn't it just make you have a fluffy feeling inside?" Eiji asked, jumping and pointing at the Gingko tree painting. Tezuka looked at it for a while and replied, "I feel something, but it's definitely not fluffy."

"Fuji-senpai, Kaidoh's right. You should look at the ones in the closet," Momoshiro suggested. He walked over to the closet, while stepping on the guy who peeped under Haru's skirt.

"Is that right?" Fuji walked over and also stepped on the same guy who peeped under Haru's skirt. Eiji jumped and landed on the same guy shouting, "I want to see them too!"

In the end everyone who wanted to see the rest of Haru's work stepped over the poor ass who wanted to look under Haru's skirt. Although they didn't really notice him, _or_ that he was foaming in the mouth.

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_I met her when it was spring._

_The leaves were growing back, and it was getting warmer. Everything looked soft and it made your mind wander. All was quiet and relaxing, but at the same time, it was a bit restless._

_Oh, right… It was spring._

_I met her in spring._

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(1) Daijoubu: Are you alright?

(2) Sugoi: Awesome/ Amazing etc…

On another note, I don't own Honey and Clover. I just need inspiration, ahaha. Oh well. XD The first chapter is really short. And don't worry, Haru's not a mary-sue. She's just 'well liked by many'. Review please!

Thank you for reading! :)


	2. Chapter 2

Kukuku. Remember, Haru speaks softly so it's as if she's really tired and drawling everything.

Oh yes, on the case of OCs. If you have problems imagining what they look like— since my descriptions are very brief and well, awful, I _will_ have a link up soon; going to www (dot) deviantart (dot) com, where I will post up my drawings of the OCs. My scanner's a little whack, and my drawing skills have become rusty, so do forgive. Feel free to comment if you have an account there.

Yup, it won't be up very soon, but you will expect it in a few weeks or so. I'll put it up in my profile, so when it's out, I'll announce it in one of the chapters or something… Yeah, and maybe I'll draw a few scenes here and there out... I'm a visual person so it's hard for me to write rather than drawing. A picture's worth a thousand words after all! Well anyway, on with the story! 8D

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_A week later, in class 2-6 yet again_

"Mamushi, get out of my way!"

"_You_ get out of my way, idiot!"

"Who are you calling an idiot? Are you trying to pick a fight with me?!" Kaidoh and Momoshiro were at each other's throat yet again and poor Haru was sitting in between the two boys, who happened to walk into each other in that aisle. Haru had a blank expression on her face and she was playing with a pencil.

"Shut up, monkey!"

"MAMUSHI!"

"STOP IT DAMNIT!" The two stopped to see they're class president glaring at them. He looked really pissed. "Not only are you at each other's throats early in the morning, which is inconsiderate since you're really loud, the two of you are suffocating Katakura! She looks like she's going to die."

"Well… actually, I'm pretty okay Harada-kun. They are a bit loud though…"

"Sorry Kata," Momo apologised

"Sorry," Kaidoh mumbled. Harada sighed and walked away.

"I'm tired," Haru mumbled. Kaidoh looked at her, "You're always tired."

"Not all the time! I just _look_ tired but I don't_ feel_ tired."

A green haired guy stopped next to them and laced his index finger and thumb around Haru's wrist, "Look at her wrists they're so tiny! You haven't been eating much, have you Kata?"

"I have been eating! I just have a high metabolic rate, so it's hard for me to gain weight! Plus, I just have small wrists, everything else is fine!" Haru defended and snatched her wrist back. She was right though, even though her height was slightly below average, and her frame was small, and her wrists were small too, that was it. She was normal otherwise. (A/N: Doesn't sound right… haha. XD)

"I'm a little annoyed by everyone's constant nagging about my diet and what not… I mean I know you're concerned but seriously, I'm fine," Haru said firmly. Momoshiro laughed. Their teacher walked in and the usual thing happened with the quieting down and the bowing, until their teacher furrowed her eyebrows in concerned and asked, "Katakura-chan, are you okay today?"

Haru dropped her head into her palm with a dull 'thud' while Momo snickered.

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Momo, Kaidoh and Haru walked out of the main school building together. Haru was heading home while Momoshiro and Kaidoh were heading to the tennis court.

"So what was our homework?" Momo asked again. Haru sighed, "Math, Chemistry, English and Art."

"Although you don't have to hand Math in tomorrow," Kaidoh mumbled. Momo made a mental note.

"I'm going to go back now… see you tomorrow," Haru bid good bye and walked off. Momo shouted, "Bye Kata! Mamushi; say good bye."

"Katakura, you're going to be by yourself again today, aren't you?"

"Mm. I'll be fine," Haru replied, her back still face to the boys, "I think Akito will come over… Ja ne!"

"Naa… she's sort of proud when you look at it this way… she pretends she's alright even though she's pretty lonely," Momo sighed. Kaidoh shrugged and walked towards the tennis court.

"You're late."

That was the first thing Tezuka said when he saw the two. He was previously talking to Eiji who was now being ignored. Kaidoh looked at a nearby clock.

"Buchou, we still have 5 minutes."

"We're early! You should be happy tha—"

"Tezuka! You have to believe me, she's really small and pale and she looks like she's going to die!" Eiji yelled, "Momo, are sure she's not suffering from some chronic illness?"

"Who?" Momo asked, clueless. Ryoma came over, "He's been trying to describe Haru-senpai to Tezuka-buchou for a while now. He just suddenly remembered her and told Tezuka about her, since he was the only one who hasn't seen her. Eiji-senpai thinks she's going to die and Buchou doesn't believe that there could be a 16 year old whose half the size of Eiji-senpai."

"I wouldn't believe that either. She's about your height though," Momo murmured, looking at Ryoma, "Eiji-senpai, she's not dying."

"She looks so frail… and really pale! And you guys saw how she was like a rag doll when Momo carried her!" Eiji looked at Fuji and Oishi.

"Saa… I guess. But she did just beat up bunch of people so I it'd be normal if she was, and looked, tired. I'm sure she's fine."

"She probably didn't drink enough milk when she was younger," Oishi laughed lightly, trying to calm Eiji down.

"I didn't drink a lot of milk when I was younger, but I'm fine! She's so tiny!"

"She's not that small Eiji," Kawamura stated, "She's about… Echizen's height or so…"

"But ochibi is still short!"

The chibi glared. However in their ruckus, they failed to notice Haru walking past them, slowly even. Haru lifted up a thick book and plopped it lightly on Momo's head. The loud knock made them stop though.

"Kata, what is this?"

"Chemistry textbook. I forgot to return it to you," Haru replied. She slouched and shifted her bag, stifling a yawn, "Okay… I'm going to go now…" Haru slowly walked toward the exit until Eiji ran over, picked her up with ease and put her back down in front of Tezuka.

"LOOK! She's so small… and fragile! And pale — look at her wrists!" Eiji took her hand and showed it to Tezuka. "They're so tiny!" He started to flail her hand. Haru looked a little shocked but she just stood there, waiting for Eiji to be done.

Ryoma walked over and stared at her, and then he turned back to Momo and Kawamura, "She's shorter than me."

Inui stared… and stared… and then scribbled like a mad man.

"Saa, Eiji… you have to stop…" Fuji said quietly.

"Neh… Eiji, yameru! (1)You're hurting her!" Oishi shouted over Eiji's shouting. Kaidoh exhaled.

"LETHARGIC AND TINY AND— huh?" Eiji stopped and stared at Haru who stared back. She opened her mouth, "Can I go now?"

"I'm sorry!" Eiji apologised loudly and let go off her hand. Haru smiled, her eyes closed, "Mm… It's okay. I'm going to go back home now…" Haru walked out slowly, she stumbled a little, making everyone flinch, and she continued to walk.

"We have a small chemistry test tomorrow," Kaidoh informed, pointing to the textbook in Momo's hand. Momo groaned, "Ugh. Only Takashina-sensei's insane enough to give us a test on the second week."

"She's small," Tezuka commented quietly, "Practice." Tezuka looked like his usual stiff self and walked away. (A/N: He had his grumpy face on. XD)

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A group of friends were inside a dormitory room laughing loudly. Out of one was a tall guy with messy dark brown hair and deep blue eyes. His name was Katakura Akito.

"AKITO, LISTEN!" The guy who shouted had dirty blond hair sticking up weirdly and brown eyes; his name was Yagami Kanata.

"Hai… hai."

"I'm telling you, he's so distracted all the time, it'd be a miracle if he remembered all of our names!" a brown-haired male laughed. His eyes were green and his hair had a tint of orange to it. He was Himura Yamato.

"I _do_ know your names!"

"Is that so, Akito-kun?"The person who said that smiled lightly. He had dark red, wavy hair and blue eyes. His name was Hanasaki Shinta.

"Show us Kata!" The black-haired male laughed. His hair was messy and has a patch of red over his dark hair, and his eyes were a greyish-blue. He was Saeki Takeru.

Akito laughed, "Himura, Yagami, Saeki and Hanasaki."

"IT'S A MIRACLE!" Himura yelled then everyone laughed. The group of five went back to their conversation.

"Okay, it's a Monday afternoon and none of the teachers decided to give us any work," Ishida started, "What should we do?"

"Let's head over to Katakura's house!" Yagami suggested brightly and everyone looked to the former, who laughed, "Aa… well I guess it's alright. Although we might be disturb, Haru."

"Ah yes, Haru," Hanasaki murmured, "You two are so close; always looking out for each other. Anyway, how is she? I heard she won a local competition of sort."

"Yeah, she did. It was last year's work but they delayed the announcement of the positions for god knows what reason. She's been doing really well, she's received another award recently on last year's work again," Akito responded proudly.

"She reminds me of a not-so-squishy teddy bear," Yagami said randomly, "Since she's sort of thin."

"Like a skinny teddy bear then?" Himura mumbled, "Yes, she does remind you of a skinny teddy bear."

"Then Akito-kun will be a big teddy bear!" Saeki laughed.

"Haru should paint _Haru_," Hanasaki mumbled, staring out the window of a fraternity room in the campus of The University of Tokyo.

"Mm," Akito agreed quietly.

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Akito fiddled with the keys in his pocket, searching for the right one. Akito cursed, "Where is the damned thing!"

Finally taking out the right one, he slotted it into the keyhole, unlocked the door and went in. "Tadaima!"

It was quiet.

"Eh? Haru's not home yet?" Akito furrowed his eyebrows, "Saa… okay, Mom and Dad left yesterday for… somewhere. And today's a Monday, but that would mean Haru should've been back hours ago…"

"Nii-chan, what are you doing back here?"

Akito turned back to see Haru taking her shoes off. Akito smiled, "Ah… well no work was given today, so I thought about dropping by. They guys wanted to come over too but I said we'd make too much noise and disturb you."

"It's fine by me if you guys come over... I don't have any work today but I have to study for Chemistry," Haru replied, dragging her bag up the stairs and yawning widely.

"You're actually going to study? I'm baffled!" Aki teased, grinning like an idiot. Haru glared lightly, and smiled despite herself, "I'm not that bad… I study once in a while!"

"Yes, once in a while. Once in a blue moon…" Haru huffed and entered her room. Akito looked at the clock; _6.13._

"Why'd you come home so late?" Akito asked loudly. Haru shouted a reply from upstairs, "I went to Natsu's house for a while!"

Akito sighed and looked around. There was nothing to do even though he was back at home. He plopped onto the sofa and put his arms behind his head for support as he leant back.

"Haru's not cute and naive enough anymore to poke fun at…"

"Yo, Akito-san!"

"Eh?" Aki sat up and looked behind to see Momoshiro. He smiled, "Ah… Momo, what are you here for?"

"I've got Haru's English textbook," Momo replied grinning, lifting up the said book. Akito nodded and asked, "How'd you come in anyway?"

"The front door was unlocked." Akito sweat-dropped. They both looked up when they heard someone calling Momoshiro.

"Momo, hurry up! Buchou is treating us today!"

"Wait, who said I was?"

"Be nice to your kouhais, Tezuka! Ochibi is very hungry!"

"I didn't say anything, Eiji-senpai…"

Momoshiro laughed and handed the book to Akito, "Bye! And remember to lock the door this time!" Akito groaned as Momo closed the door. Akito sat there for a while, unmoving. Then he suddenly made a decision and jumped out of his seat to called his friends over.

_40 minutes later._

"HEELLLO, KATAKURAS!!" Himura and Yagami shouted upon entering the Katakura household. The group of four took of their shoes and headed directly to the living room where Aki was. Aki rolled his eyes and greeted them, "Hello noisy."

"Don't be so mean, Kata," Himura smiled, "We're only here because you asked us to come here. And Yagami and I can't help bringing noise wherever we go!"

"Well, Haru has a chemistry test tomorrow so—"

"Ugh," Yagami shuddered, "I hate chemistry. Stupid Taka-sensei; ruined everything for me in high school." Hanasaki nodded, "Takashina-sensei was quite strict and unreasonable at times…"

Akito laughed, "Yeah… stupid guy gave us such a hard time. He's Haru's teacher this year too." The three laughed while Himura and Saeki sat down on the sofa. Saeki smiled, "Don't you feel left out when they talk about things like this, Himura?"

Saeki was from Chiba while Himura was from Kanagawa. Both of them only came to Tokyo to attend the University, so they sometime felt left out when the other three talked about thing that happened in Tokyo before they came. And the three of them were all from Seigaku high.

Himura grinned then faked a sad face, "I know… they make me feel so hurt… SNIFF."

"You are so fake," Haru laughed as she came down the stairs and sat next to Himura. The guys laughed, "Hi Haru (Hanasaki: mi)!"

"Harumi-chan, Akito-kun said you had a chemistry test tomorrow, weren't you studying?"Hanasaki asked. Haru smiled, "I finished studying. Besides, if I wanted to study any further I wouldn't be able to. You guys are too noisy."

They guys looked at Akito sheepishly. Akito shrugged, "It doesn't matter. She doesn't care about her studies anyway."

"Hey!" Haru protested while the others laughed. Akito picked up a book from the table next to him and tossed it to Haru, saying, "Momo dropped by just now, apparently he had your textbook."

"Ohh… so that's why I couldn't find it…" Haru mumbled. Yagami smiled slyly, "Ohh, is this Momo guy your boyfriend?"

"What, Momo? No!" The Katakura gushed. Yagami blinked, "Well if it's the both of you denying it, it's definitely true."

"If any bastard wants to be Haru's boyfriend, they have to get through me first," Akito proclaimed loudly and eerily.

"It's so sad; Haru's going to be 17 and she can't have any boyfriends because of her overprotective brother," Himura sighed jokingly. Saeki laughed, but rolled his eyes, "What's more sad is Koji. He's almost 18, doesn't have anyone stopping him and he doesn't bother getting a girlfriend; 'just have dates' he says." (A/N: I'm making Saeki from Rokkaku have a brother, yo.)

"Kojirou is less open I guess," Hanasaki mumbled, "He probably thinks dating isn't as important as… what ever he thinks is important."

Saeki rolled his eyes again and grumbled, "That kid is a nice guy, we all know that. He's good-looking too I suppose since he has a fan club in school. I don't understand why he doesn't want to make a move."

"Takeru, Kojirou is probably just afraid of making a move. And maybe because his dates aren't good enough," Akito reasoned. Saeki Takeru had recently broken up with his girlfriend whom he had been going out with for 2 years so he was still somewhat bitter.

"Koji told me that Take has been bugging him about his relationships ever since a week he broke up," Himura whispered to Haru who smiled sadly, _'Poor Takeru-nii.'_

"Let's go out to eat yakiniku," Hanasaki suggested, changing the subject. Yagami stood up and grinned, "Alright, but you're paying since you suggested it."

Saeki and Himura nodded their heads while Haru laughed. Akito grinned, "Well, it's decided then! Saki, you're paying." Everyone stood up and walked out, leaving Hanasaki who stood there defenceless.

"Everyone's so mean…"

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This chapter is really just pointless except for introducing Akito and his friends. And I also wanted to highlight on Momo and Haru's relationship. And maybe some things with the class too, but I think I'll leave that to the next chapter. Just some background information about Haru-chan.

Also, I apologise because I didn't really have the heart to put much effort into this chapter. My exams are coming in 2 weeks so I'm a little tired. Math homework has been surprisingly easy however! Aha… gomen, minna-san… I really apologise!

Thank you for reading! :)


	3. Chapter 3

It's been a while. I truly am sorry, to the people who added this story to their alert list and favourites list. It's been over a year since I last updated! I feel so awful. My brain just had severe constipation for this story. ):

Okay, so you won't get confused. And _I_ won't get confused. __

Narrative

"Regular speech"

'_Thinking'_

_Flashback_

"_Flashback speech"_

"**Emphasis **_emphasis"_

Yeah. That should be it. Enjoy! (:

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"_I love the smell of beef in the morning!"_

Katakura smiled. Her brother's friends were so funny.

"_It is seven-thirty at night, you idiot."_

It _is_ seven-thirty, just is the morning. That night at the Yakiniku restaurant was quite enjoyable. Katakura rolled out of her bed and crawled to the adjacent bathroom – literally. She whined, "I'm so tired..."

After washing up and changing, she went downstairs and made herself some breakfast– toast is good. She sat at the dining table, for four people, and looked around the warm, empty room. She hummed, "Breakfast by myself again..." she said to herself in the desolated silence. "Well, at least it's finally a Friday," she said optimistically. She finished her small meal quickly and left the house, walking to school at a slow, relaxing pace, replaying the events of that night.

There was a lot of noise, Katakura thought fondly. The restaurant was almost empty, being a Monday night, there was only another table, which consisted of the Seigaku Tennis regulars. She giggled to herself, recalling when Saeki and Momoshiro had an eating competition. Echizen, Tezuka and Kaidoh were being anti-social, while Eiji and Momoshiro were actively challenging the other members of her party for that night. It was awkward being the only girl there though, but it was nice.

'_Momo's and Kaidoh's friends were very nice,' _She decided. Fuji intrigued her the most with his constant smile and closed eyes. You'd expect him to see nothing, when he actually saw everything.

"_You shouldn't feel awkward," he said softly, though his voice went across the table to her. She looked up in confusion. He smiled; eyes closed as usual, "we don't bite."_

"_How'd you know I was feeling awkward?" she wondered aloud. No one was aware of their conversation even though they were sitting at the centre of the long table. Eiji and Yagami were enough distractions. Fuji gestured to her hands, "You pull on your fingers whenever our attention averts to you and you tend to look down often. You shouldn't feel nervous."_

"_I can't help it," she confided, "I don't like being the centre of attention. I don't belong in the limelight." He chuckled, "Oh, I wouldn't say that. Don't shoot yourself down like that." She laughed._

It was a nice, albeit short conversation with her sempai. He was interesting; perhaps she'll get along well with him. As she slowly made her way towards the half-point from her house to her school, she spotted a yellow house, with someone from her school walking out with a tennis bag slung over his shoulders. _Speak of the devil_, she thought. He closed the gate and turned to her, "Good morning, Katakura-san."

"Good morning, Fuji-sempai," she greeted back, stopping in front of him. She commented pleasantly, "I didn't know you lived here..."

"Ah, yes," Fuji smiled, "I've lived here for quite some time. I've never seen you walked along here before though."

"Neither have I," she murmured, checking her phone for the time, "I came out a little early today..."

Fuji chuckled, "That's weird; I came out a little late." She smiled and they continued down the route which led to their school. They found out that despite them living at their houses for more than 5 years, and going to the same school, they have never met each other before until that day in the art room. Fuji scratched the side of his face, "I don't _remember_ seeing you around..."

"Me neither," she admitted, and then laughed, "How queer..." Fuji nodded, "Maa, where do you live?"

"About four blocks from your house I think. I live in the little yellow and white house with the dull, red roof." Fuji smiled wider, "Ah, the house with the hand-prints on the letter-box!"

She laughed, "Yes! Those were my brother's and my hand-print. We did it when we first moved there... my hand was the one with yellow paint, while his was the one in red paint. My dad wasn't really happy about it at first, but he decided that it was cute in the end. Besides, he couldn't resist the adorable looks of his ten-year old son and seven-year-old daughter."

Fuji raised his eyebrows, "You've stayed in that house for a while now." She nodded, "Yes, well, my parents started making frequent overseas trips ever since I was thirteen, so we don't move around a lot."

"I see. I've lived here for almost eight years I think. Much less than your ten years, but still quite some time..." She nodded. Fuji continued conversationally, "My father works overseas too, except he doesn't come back very often. Once in a few months..."

"That must have been tough for your family," she commented. Fuji nodded, "Yes, but it was okay. My siblings and I had each other and our mother. You only had your brother."

"Oh," she started airily, "Oh, it wasn't that bad. I needed more time to do things since the chores couldn't be split up anymore. So I had to change to another club that only met up once a week."

"What was your previous club?"

"There's a leaf in your hair," Katakura pointed out. Fuji stopped to pull the leaf out of his head and laughed. Katakura thought that green was nice against his brown hair. Fuji repeated his question.

"Mm... choir. We had practices three times a week, so at first it was a little tough keeping the house clean. When my parents came back after two-three weeks, the house didn't look very nice... they were afraid I'd be unable to take care of myself if brother left. So I quit choir and joined the art club instead. I still miss it sometimes..."

Fuji smiled, "Saa... You must have a nice voice then. Perhaps you'll sing me a song one day."

She laughed, "No, I doubt I'm any good... especially since I've been out of shape for more than two years."

"I'm sure you're fine," Fuji assured. The school building began to come into view, as did their fellow schoolmates. Katakura turned to him, "I'll see you soon, Fuji-sempai. It was nice talking to you, honestly."

"Yes, I enjoyed myself too, talking to you Katakura-san. We should make this a daily routine," he suggested happily. Katakura smiled, "Sure! Good bye for now then..." She gave a little wave and skipped off cheerfully to the second level of the east building. Fuji nodded to himself, "Yes, very nice."

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"Katakura-san has very nice fingers," Fuji murmured randomly. Eiji looked up from his desk, raising an eyebrow, "Okay..."

"It's... very tiny, her hands. With tiny nails..." Fuji observed from this morning. Eiji blinked a few times, "Alright."

Fuji hummed while nodding and continued with the problem the teacher gave out. Eiji shrugged and muttered to himself, "Weird..."

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"Fuji-sempai has nice hair," Katakura commented randomly. Natsu looked up from her book and stared, "Okay..."

"It's... dark, his roots. But soft and light as it goes..." Katakura said, recalling the way his hair whooshed about that morning. Natsu raised an eyebrow, "Alright."

Katakura nodded to herself, and continued reading a passage the teacher told them to read. Natsu stared for a moment then continued reading, "Funny..."

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During lunch, Momoshiro and Natsu went down to the cafeteria to buy some food, and in the line, they met Eiji. Momoshiro waved, "Yo, Eiji-sempai!"

"Hoi! Momo and his scary friend," Eiji grinned sheepishly, tongue sticking out adorably. Natsu smiled politely, "My name is Akisuto Natsumi." After introductions and discussion on food, Eiji decided to tell Momoshiro about Fuji's weird behaviour earlier on. Momoshiro raised an eyebrow, "So he just randomly said that Kata had nice fingers?"

Eiji nodded, "It was really weird... he was just absent-mindedly saying it too. I don't think he realised he said it, he looked so... in his own world."

"Ah!" Natsu exclaimed, "Haru-chan did the same thing this morning, she was talking about Fuji-sempai too! She was saying how he had nice, light, hair. She was very... far-off than usual."

"Unconventional people, they are," Momoshiro said. Natsu and Eiji nodded in silent agreement. They ignored it because food was more important.

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After school, Katakura finished her homework in the library and went straight to the art room and pulled out a 20 by 30 canvas out then she sat in front of it on a stool. She hoped that something would come to her today. She hasn't painted anything in over a week.

"Inspiration..." she murmured to herself. _'Draw from your own emotions and experiences!' _Her teacher had said. She smiled, "Crazy Numiro-sensei..." Going backwards about her day, she approached the memory of her walk to school with a certain blue-eyed genius.

Katakura pulled out a few silver tubes and squeezed the contents out onto a palette and started with light and dark brown swirls with little flecks of green. Green specks against a brown background reminded her of green leaves stuck in brown hair.

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"I have a sudden liking for purple," Fuji said cheerfully to Tezuka who arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

The sun was lowering slowly, casting long shadows along the hallways, but it wasn't very late yet. Fuji shrugged, he honestly didn't know. He and Tezuka were walking towards the exit of the west building, heading home after practice. As they went through the first floor, Fuji questioned, "Why do we have so many empty rooms?"

"These are the multi-purpose rooms for after school activities and clubs like the choir, or the art club," Tezuka explained, "The band and the choir use the biggest room at the end; they have padded walls."

Fuji blinked, "How about the art room then? Momo dragged us here but I've never really paid attention to the first floor of the West building. It's been a while since we were first-years in this building."

Tezuka stopped at a room and pointed. Through the window of the sliding doors, Fuji saw Katakura painting. He smiled, "Oh, look, it's Katakura-san."

Katakura stopped and turned at the mention of her name and waved to the two, beckoning them to come into the Art room. Fuji happily dragged Tezuka in. Katakura bowed, "Tezuka-sempai, Fuji-sempai."

Tezuka nodded in acknowledgement while Fuji greeted back. "That looks nice," He said, gesturing to the painting she just did. Katakura flushed, "Oh... it's not that great... it was just, painted on a whim..."

"It looks nice," Tezuka complimented and turned to leave, "I have to go; Fuji, Katakura-san." After Tezuka left stiffly, Fuji turned to ask, "What is it suppose to be?"

'_You,'_ A voice at the back of Katakura's head said, but instead, she said, "I'm not really sure... I was just thinking..." Fuji just smiled and pulled a chair from the back and set it behind her stool, sitting down, "You should continue."

"Eh?" Katakura stuttered, "Uh, well... I feel uncomfortable when people watch me..."

"You shouldn't feel uncomfortable," He said and his repetition of words sent a shiver down her back. "I can't help it," his repetition inspired hers. Fuji smiled wider, "Mm... sounds like the other night. Just pretend I'm not here."

"I can feel your stare."

"My eyes are closed."

"They are still seeing," she accused. After a moment of silence she queried, "Why don't you open your eyes?"

"Oh, they're not entirely closed; just very small, from smiling," he stated. Katakura turned around on her stool and look down at his face, "What colour are your eyes?" Fuji blinked a few times and showed her the brilliant blue of his eyes. Katakura stared for what seemed like the longest time to Fuji, but it gave him a chance to study her features at a closer range. She was very pretty. Suddenly, Katakura jumped off her seat and continued painting, only this time in a combination of light blue and purple, and some darker shades of blue.

After a while, her pace slowed and her head tilted to the side a small fraction, eyes peeping from under long lashes and behind hair, "Your eyes are blue..."

"With little flecks of purple?" Fuji observed from the canvas and palette. She nodded, "In the mornings when the sun is shining brightly. A little bit of green sometimes too," she observed, "Especially at sunset." Only then did Fuji realise that the room was turning dark with orange, he looked to the windows and indeed, it was sunset. The sun was almost gone, much lower than when he first entered the room with Tezuka.

"My eyes are purple..." She murmured, stepping back to his side so as to look at the finished painting; a beautiful blue, green and purple mess on a brown background.

"With little flecks of blue," Fuji noted, looking deep into her eyes, "A little... especially at sunset."

She smiled and cleaned her brushes and palette at the nearby sink then quickly kept all her things. Fuji got up and helped her take her bag while she wasn't looking and walked over to the main exit of the west building. A little after five minutes, Katakura approached him slightly flushed, "You don't have to take my bag..."

Fuji just smiled and walked back to her house, despite her protests on him walking past his own house. Katakura sighed, "I'd really appreciate it if you'd return my bag to me... You're making me feel bag for letting you carry my bag back to my house. You even past your own house..."

"Just making sure you'll be safe," Fuji stated, "Momo told me that you're usually home alone, because your brother went off to University two years ago."

"Big mouth," she muttered under her breath, but Fuji caught it anyway and laughed. "He's just concerned."

"He's paranoid. My brother's overprotective enough of me; I don't need another person breathing down my neck... Natsu does that too, she sometimes insists that I stay over at her house," Katakura informed. "It's nice of them... really and I love them dearly for that, but they shouldn't keep thinking that I am unable to take care of myself... I'll survive."

"Live," Fuji suggested and she laughed, "Yes, live..." They continued down the road talking about school, family and whatever they could think of with complete ease. It was a pleasant change for Katakura to be with someone after school. When they reached her house, Fuji happily pointed out the painted letter-box, saying that her hand was still the same size. He finally returned her school bag and they bid each other goodbye. As he walked back in the opposite direction, he remembered something she said.

"_My eyes are purple..."_

And something _he_ said.

"_I have a sudden liking for purple," Fuji said cheerfully to Tezuka who arched an eyebrow._

He stopped and let everything pass by him for a moment. "Her eyes are purple... purple, with specks of blue; especially at sunset," he said as the sun fully set, leaving only a dark blue and purple sky.

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Well, that was a little confusing. It isn't very long I know. Quite short actually. But I guess that's when Fuji realises that he's attracted to dear little Haru-chan! (:

Thank you for reading! :)


	4. Chapter 4

Mornings are my worst enemy too. D:

Narrative

"Regular speech"

'_Thinking'_

_Flashback_

"_Flashback speech"_

"**Emphasis** _emphasis_"

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Katakura Harumi is never a morning person. In fact, mornings were her worst enemy. The rise of the Sun signified the beginning of yet another boring day of school. She didn't mind when the Sun rose on Saturdays and Sundays though. She just didn't like it if she got out of bed before ten. This morning however, on a bright and shiny Saturday morning, Katakura woke up at seven thirty without a single whimper or groan. Why? Because it felt like a good day, that's why.

Katakura rolled out of bed, as in literally rolled out of the bed and crawled to her bathroom. She missed the door the first time and bumped her head into the wall. She made it to her bathroom the second time. She did whatever she needed to do in the toilet and shuffled down the stairs. She made her way to the noisy kitchen where her brother and his friends were trying to make pancakes.

"Morning, Haru-chan!" Saeki greeted cheerfully with a whisk in his hand and a bowl full of... nothing in his other hand.

"They're trying to make pancakes," Hanasaki explained over a cup of coffee, "But to no avail, as you can see." He gestured to the batter-covered counters and stacked up cutlery in the sink. The four men shouting over a blender and frying pan were enough of an explanation to her. She nodded and sat opposite him, "I don't remember you guys coming in."

"Actually, I don't really remember anything after I took a shower..." she murmured. Himura laughed, "Yeah, you looked really dead on the couch."

Hanasaki cleared his throat, "It had seemed that you were too tired, so Aki carried you up into your room while the rest of us started a game of poker."

Katakura smiled, "Nii-san is really bad at card games."

"Exactly," Yagami exclaimed while the said person sulked over the stove. Akito flipped a pancake, "At least I'm smarter than all of you..." Everyone else scowled at that one comment. She chuckled, "Oh, it's just the first term's results; it worth only a small percentage of your total score."

"Ah, I can always count on you, my little bundle of joy," Saeki muttered, tapping the whisk on her head. Katakura just smiled, "So are there going to be any pancakes?"

"I don't know," Akito admitted, "This is the fifth attempt at making pancakes... It could take a while for us to actually get the right batter."

Hanasaki chuckled, "I just made myself some toast." Katakura pointed to Hanasaki's empty plate, "I'll go with that."

Yagami whined, "Haru-chan, do you not have faith in our cooking abilities?" She replied with a quick 'no' and proceeded to make some toast. Saeki and Himura were in the midst of making up the sixth batter. Akito threw away the messed up pancakes and took a seat next to Hanasaki, "So, are you doing anything today? We were thinking of going to the new amusement park later in the afternoon. But if there are too many people since we're going late, we'll probably go early tomorrow."

"Mm, I was thinking of going to the library later," she replied. Akito scoffed, "Isn't it quiet enough at our house?"

"Not with all of you around," she teased. "No, I just want the free heater in the library. And there are people in the background and stuff... if won't seem so empty like around the house." Akito nodded. Himura and Saeki both shouted, "We did it!"

"Yeah, this is totally the right taste!" They both excited licked the batter as if salmonella was some sort of god-like illness to level up.

"Dude," Yagami started, picking up a white, plastic bottle, "Why'd you put hot sauce in it?" There was a long pause. Katakura snickered, Yagami and Akito burst out laughing while Hanasaki smiled and sighed. Himura coughed, "It was totally intentional."

"Yeah," Saeki mumbled, "It adds... spice? – It, it just adds!"

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'_First term examinations are coming soon,' _Haru realised, _'It's in about 2 to 3 weeks... I... should study. Or... I can be a pig for the rest of the day. Study, or sleep? The examination will determine my academic standard. If I study hard and with the help of examinations I can improve my grades to ensure that I will get into a good university, then get a good job which will lead to a higher position with better pay and with that better pay I will be able to lead a healthy life with good things surrounding me.'_

She slid off the couch and laid her head on the living room coffee table. _'By sleeping, I'll let my body have ample amounts of rest. With the amount of rest, my body can fully function properly and allow me to do multiple things without getting tired easily and by being able to hold out longer I can achieve more in a short amount of time, not to mention that by resting more, my brain and the rest of my body can relax for a while otherwise if I don't rest, my overexerted body will collapses and then I'll end up at the hospital again with ridiculous medical bills and medical certificates which will make me take time off school and a shortage of money. With the sudden shortage of money plus the addition of missing out on school which means that I will miss out on important lessons that will help me later in life, implying that my career and future may not be so bright, I will be unable to lead a healthy lifestyle with good things surrounding me.'_

Katakura stuck her tongue out, nearly licking the surface of the coffee table. Akito coughed, "Haru, you've been making faces at yourself for nearly 10 minutes; just make up your mind on what you want to do today and don't over think your options."

Katakura blinked, "What makes you think that I will over think my options? Anyway, I've decided to go to the library to study... Exams are coming soon you know... and I'll study at the table with the big couch, so if I get tired I can just knock out right there." (A/N: I do that sometimes, although not so much at the library and... not so much studying. :D)

"Oh, I just knock out anytime and anywhere," Yagami stated, "And I'll eat anything I deem edible."

"You'll eat _everything_, even if it isn't edible," Hanasaki mumbled. Yagami nodded with a crooked smile, "Yeah, probably."

"Aki," Himura exclaimed, "Is the failed batter still in the kitchen or did you throw it away?"

Akito scratched his chin and stretched his neck to get a glimpse of the kitchen sink from his view on the recliner, "I think I put them all in the sink. Should still all be there, why?"

Himura grinned like the Cheshire cat, "Yagami, I challenge you to an eating competition—with the mutated batter!"

Yagami jumped from his seat and threw a throw pillow to the floor in exaggeration, "You are on!"

"Prepare to face your doom!"

"I will kick your ass!"

"I will _eat_ your ass!"

"... Dude, that's gross."

Katakura stood, "Not that this wouldn't be entertaining, with the bad comebacks and mutated batter, but I'm going to head to the library now, otherwise my favourite spot will be taken... It's still too early for anyone to be at the library but who knows." She went to her room and shoved her books and stationary into a floppy sling-bag and hopped back down. Saeki waved her off from his position at the kitchen-living room door, "I'll video tape the stupid challenge for you so you can see it when you get back!"

"I'll video tape the part where they're going to fight for the toilet," Hanasaki smiled. Akito laughed, "Happy studying!"

* * *

S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G

Katakura was right about the part where she said that it would be too early for anyone to be at the library. It was totally empty, a completely desolated silence. She smiled and skipped past the groggy librarian up the stairs to the second floor where her favourite spot was, tucked in the corner at the back. She walked straight, through shelves of horror stories to teen fiction right to the end where she turned right and walked down a row of empty tables and chair right till the end where there was a red, booth-like, U-shaped couch against the wall and a big, square mahogany table in the middle. She joyfully made her way over to the couch, ready to plop down on its soft cushion when she noticed that there was a tuft of hair sticking out from the side of the couch. Someone was occupying the booth—at eight-thirty on a Saturday morning, which was unusual.

Katakura slowed down and peeped to see the person who vacated the wonderful, red couch. She blinked long and hard with her mouth slightly parted in surprised. _'Why do I keep running into him so often nowadays?'_

"Katakura-san," Fuji laughed, "We seem to be meeting up unintentionally quite often recently."

She smiled, "Yes, Fuji-sempai." She had started to see him having lunch on the school roof; she has lunch there too occasionally. Sometimes he's by himself, other times with friends, and more recently with her. "Very often... what are you doing here so early?"

"I could ask you the same question. What are you doing here so early?"

"I asked first."

"I asked second," Fuji countered playfully. She rolled her eyes fondly at him, "It felt like a good day, so I woke up early... and exams are around the corner, so naturally I came to study."

"Oddly enough, it felt like a good day to me too this morning," Fuji echoed, eyes still closed. "Please, sit." She took up his offer and glanced at his books, "Chemistry?"

"Yes, I have a lot of homework and things that I've missed out on for chemistry because teachers and other students seem to enjoy looking for me during chemistry and steal me away for a long time," Fuji informed. Katakura nodded, "Numiro-sensei seems to do that to me all the time during Math—" She took out a thick blue book from her floppy bag and dropped it lightly on the table, "Calculus."

"I prefer Algebra rather than Calculus," Fuji murmured. She nodded in agreement. (A/N: I honestly do. I don't understand why people hate Algebra; it's as easy as 3.142857143! Did you see that? I made a pun.)

They fell into silence after that; doing their own things at their own pace in each others' company. It was nice. About half an hour later, Fuji decided to make some conversation, "I saw," he paused. She looked up, "Hm?"

"I saw a purple sunset, on the day we walked back to your house; after the painting in the art room," Fuji murmured.

"There have been a lot of paintings in the art rooms," she smiled. Fuji's eyes crinkled. She smiled wider, "I saw the sunset too. It was red and purple."

"I wonder who we know has red eyes," Fuji whispered, reminding himself that they were in a library. She had seem to forgotten too as she whispered, "Natsu's eyes are a little red. They're kind of red and brown... maroon, but not that dark."

"The only time I saw Akimoto-san was the day I met you."

"Well you should meet her," Katakura suggested, "She's really wonderful and humorous."

"You are quite wonderful yourself," Fuji admitted, all smiles. Katakura blinked then flushed prettily. He chuckled, "You don't seem to have a lot of confidence in yourself."

"She's very brilliant too... she makes her own clothing and some for me" she stated, deciding not to respond to the accusation and praise, "and she manages to get them on some magazines too."

"That _is_ brilliant," Fuji murmured. "It's nice to see two brilliant people be best friends, yes?" Katakura flushed yet again, "You're brilliant in tennis, 'Tensai Fuji'."

He chuckled softly. Katakura thought that his light chuckled felt like melted chocolate. If he were the hot chocolate she'd like to be the marshmallows. When she was in choir previously, she was a soprano. His seemed like a tenor. Perhaps they'd do a duet someday. At the thought of a duet and the word 'someday', the song from 'A Walk to Remember' played in her head.

'_Someday we'll know why Samson loved Delilah_

_One day I'll go dancing on the moon,_

_Someday you'll know why I was the one for you.'_

She blinked out of her reverie and shook her head. He looked in concern, "Are you alright?"

"Sure, I'm fine..." She assured. He looked sincerely worried which made her heart jump a little. _'I never thought myself as much of a mushy teenage girl.'_ She looked at the young man sitting across the table, staring blankly at his Chemistry homework. _'I always thought I was down-to-earth, but Fuji-sempai has seemed to prove me wrong.'_

He caught her stare and gave her a friendly smile. _'I'm a pile of goo when he's around.'_ She sighed mentally and returned the friendly gesture. Fuji was enjoying their trade of smiles. Normally, people would raise an eyebrow at his constant smiling and be reluctant to smile back at his widened smile at them. She was different from the others because she always returned his smile with all sincerity. Fuji hummed, _'I always thought babies made people feel like jelly, but apparently Katakura-san can make people feel like jelly too. Either that or she's a baby.'_

Fuji examined her physical structure silently and looked away quickly before she felt his gaze. _'She is very much a woman. Not a baby. She's a little woman.'_

"It's nine-fifteen," she stated, looking at the clock on her phone. Fuji looked up, hoping she did not have to leave yet, "What time are you leaving?"

"I have all the time in the world."

An hour after they ended their conversation, Katakura decided to fall asleep on her Mathematics textbook. Half an hour after that, Fuji decided he'd joined her in the cat nap on his Chemistry homework. They both woke up with red marks on their faces, tears and booger in their eyes and smiles on their ridiculously beautiful faces. They both agreed on that last part silently.

* * *

S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G

A sinister glint flashed across Akimoto Natsumi's eyes as she hunched over a thick, wooden desk. The pulled a long, dark green cloth material from her sewing machine and let a short, maniacal laugh slip. She dropped the coat on her bed and reached into her large, dark blue bag in search of her mobile phone. Once she found it, she clicked speed-dial 3, Katakura Harumi. After 5 rings it went to voicemail and tried again to no avail.

Natsu huffed and clicked speed-dial 5, Momoshiro. After 2 rings he picked up, _"Moshi, moshi, Momo-chan here!"_

"Momo, do you know where Haru-chan is?"

"_Mm, it's a Saturday; I won't know what she'd be doing. She'd usually be on her own or with her family. Why?"_ Natsu scoffed, "I've just created the most brilliant coat in the entire world!"

Over the phone, you could hear Momoshiro sigh, _"What is the horrid thing this time?"_

Natsu gasped, "Your words; they wound me. They wound me deeply."

Momoshiro laughed, _"I'm just joking, you know I think they're pretty awesome. So you want her to model for you again?"_

"Well, duh," Natsu scoffed, "Haru-chan's always my first choice for models. Everyone else is just second option for when she's not free. Anyway, you have any idea where she might be? I called her twice but I think her phone's on silent mode."

"_Maybe she's at the movies,"_ Momoshiro suggested, _"She usually only puts her phone on silent mode when she's at school. I'd put my phone to silent if I went to the movies. Or to the library, but we all know I don't hit the library."_

"Who goes to the movies at 9 in the morning? And yeah, your textbooks look brand new," Natsu said, rolling her eyes. Momoshiro defended himself, _"It's just the first term, whose book looks like crap now? Whoever it is, they don't take care of their crap properly. Not properly at all."_

Natsu sighed, "Well, thanks. I shouldn't bother her on the weekends. I'll just attack her on Monday."

"_Good. Now if you'll excuse me,"_ Momoshiro cleared his throat and cracked his knuckles, _"Duty calls."_

"What duty?"

"_You see that? I made a pun. Irony? I'm going to play Call of Duty now, and I said duty calls, so that's actually really funny because I'm playing—"_ Natsu hung up.

* * *

S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G

"Your opinion is flawed..." Katakura laughed, "Your eyes have been closed for too long, Fuji-sempai."

"My eyes can open," Fuji muttered, "Growlithe is flawed."

"Growlithe is excellent!"

"A Growlithe is too tiny. It's just a fire-breathing Eevee."

"Growlithe and Flareon are far apart."

"They're both dogs that breath fire and have swooshy tails." Yes, our two beautiful geniuses are discussing upon Pokemon. Apparently studying and doing homework was too tedious by one hour and they decided to get some snacks from the little cafeteria on the first floor and sneak the food back up then talk a little. They like Pokemon. They were cute little animals with magical powers and inability to say things other than their names, what's not to like?

"Eevees are cute."

"If you had to choose which one you liked between all the Eevee evolutions, which one would you choose?"

Katakura took a sip from her hot chocolate before replying, "I like Jolteon."

"Jolteon is excellent," Fuji laughed, "I like him too."

"What makes you think Jolteon's male? It could be female," She murmured. Fuji blinked. Did he offend her? Katakura sighed, "But, he does gives off a male vibe."

He smiled. It was odd how hardly anyone was around the library when it was a weekend. It was not as early as it had been when they had first come in too; it was nearly noon. But he didn't mind, he enjoyed the time with Katakura. She made him a little delirious; deliriously happy. Fuji's phone buzzed violently on the table, he checked the caller who turned out to be Oishi. He blinked before he realised something he forgot which had never ever forgot before.

"I forgot about practice," Fuji said, staring at the clock in his phone. Katakura just looked at him as he answered his phone, "Moshi moshi?"

"_Fuji, did you forget that we have practice this morning?"_ Katakura could hear Oishi practically freak out over the phone. She could also hear Eiji in the background. Fuji gave a low, nervous chuckle, "Gomen..."

"_Fuji, how could you forget?"_ Eiji shouted. Fuji scratched his face, "Maa, I was studying at the library and I guess it just slipped my mind." Katakura laughed softly. Fuji continued, "I'll be right there. I just need to go home and get a few things before heading to school."

"_Ochibi-chan will be earlier than you~!"_ Eiji sang. Fuji smiled and gave Katakura an apologetic smile. He was about to apologise when she cut him off with a wave of her hand, "You don't have an obligation to apologise to me. It's not like we had an appointment in the first place. We just bumped into each other."

"Right," Fuji smiled. He picked up his things fastidiously and waved, "I'll see you next week!"

"Sure," Katakura nodded. After he left, she tried to go back to studying but to no avail. The loneliness was bothering her so she took a short walk around the floor before hitting the books yet again. Unfortunately, she still couldn't study without his presence for an odd reason, so she decided to leave. She sighed and stuffed her books and pencils back into her bag. She looked in her bag and realised that she had one of her many sketch books in it, and it was the sketch book where she usually drew people in. She took it out and flipped to an empty page then started to randomly doodle along the edges of the page.

She moved to the centre of the page where she drew little chibi versions and a more realistic portrait on a new page of a sempai she had spent the morning with.

* * *

S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G

It was rare of Fuji to miss practice. Tennis was important to him, as well as his team – or rather friends. Heck, Fuji has never been late for a tennis practice before, even if it was last minute. He was always one of the earliest and spent his time warming up with Kawamura. But for some sort of odd reason, he was late today.

He woke up early – very good for his punctuality. He ate breakfast and teased Yuuta – nothing unusual. He walked to the library to study – not much of a time consuming or distracting situation. He spent the rest of the morning with Katakura – that was out of the ordinary.

Fuji frowned as he jogged past the school gates and towards the tennis courts. Just spending time with her can't be that bad, can it? Fuji 'pshawed' at himself and slowed down as he made his way past the west building of the school. As he turned the corner, he expected to see the tennis court, but an overly-concerned Eiji appeared miraculously in his line of vision.

"Fuji! What happened to you today? You never forget practice!" Eiji screeched. Fuji just smiled sheepishly, "There's a first time for everything."

He looked around and spotted the enthusiastically friendly pair, Momoshiro and Kaidou, a smiley Kawamura, a stone-faced Tezuka and a sheepish Oishi. Fuji turned to the still-bouncing Eiji, "Is Echizen earlier than me?"

Eiji pouted, "He's even later than usual! He's usually about twenty minutes late, but you took his spot. He's probably only going to show up like half an hour later – hey, there he is! OCHIBI~!" Eiji flailed his arms around and dashed towards the not-so-chibi-figure and easily picked him up. Tezuka cleared his throat, "Now that everyone is here, let's start practice. Fuji, run 20 laps, Echizen, run 30 laps."

Fuji smiled to himself as he ran around the court in thought. Though he'd rather not run 20 rounds around the tennis court, he had rather enjoyed his time with Katakura. She had a sweet, windy aura. And it made him have a fluffy feeling. He had rather welcomed the fluffy feeling.

* * *

S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G S P R I N G

HIYA! That's suppose to come out more like a kungfu, "Hi-YA!" rather than a friendly, girlish, chirpy, "HIYA!" But anyway, I seem to like ending off with Fuji – seems nice.

Thank you for reading! :)


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